Unprecedented Terror Free Tomorrow Polls: World's Largest Muslim
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Unprecedented Terror Free Tomorrow Polls: World’s Largest Muslim Countries Welcome US Navy New Results from Indonesia and Bangladesh © 2006 by Terror Free for Tomorrow, Inc All rights reserved. www.TerrorFreeTomorrow.org 1 Executive Summary: In unprecedented public opinion surveys by Terror Free Tomorrow, Indonesians and Bangladeshis overwhelmingly welcome the U.S. Navy’s recent humanitarian mission of the USNS Mercy to their shores. Mercy is a fully equipped 1,000-bed floating hospital, staffed by Navy medical personnel and volunteer doctors and nurses from Project HOPE, which recently provided free medical services and training to the people of Indonesia and Bangladesh, among others. And by its mission, Mercy helped favorably change public opinion toward the United States in both Indonesia and Bangladesh—the world’s first and third largest Muslim countries. In a nationwide poll of Indonesians conducted after the mission, of those who had heard of the Mercy’s visit, a remarkable 85 percent had a favorable opinion. In a similar survey throughout Bangladesh, 95 percent of the people of Bangladesh were favorable to the Mercy’s mission. The consensus approval of the Mercy mission cut across every demographic group and political view. Whether respondents were unfavorable toward the United States and opposed to the US war on terrorism, or even supporters of Bin Laden and approve suicide terrorist attacks—whatever their views or demographic category—every group had a favorable opinion of the Mercy’s mission. Indeed, 87 percent of those surveyed in Bangladesh stated that the activities of Mercy made their overall view of the United States more positive. In fact, having been questioned on terrorism, the United States, humanitarian relief, various types of foreign assistance and the Mercy mission, those surveyed were asked to rank what in the future would make their opinion of the United States more favorable. Respondents were given a choice of comparable and concrete activities the United States could undertake. The first choice of respondents in Indonesia and Bangladesh was educational scholarships. But the number two priority was additional and expanded visits of the hospital ship Mercy to their countries. Next came concluding a free trade treaty with the United States and finally, stronger American support for resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and for establishing a Palestinian state. “The National Military Strategic Plan for the War on Terrorism” by the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff concludes that American humanitarian assistance is “often key to demonstrating benevolence and goodwill abroad…countering ideological support for terrorism, [which is] the enemy’s center of gravity.” The recent mission of the Mercy proves that ongoing humanitarian missions by the U.S. military will continue to reap demonstrable and measurable gains in popular esteem. Indeed, the near universal approval of the Mercy is a striking testament to the ability of 2 tangible humanitarian aid to win favorable public opinion for the United States in the Muslim world. The surveys also demonstrate that if the United States Navy itself delivers humanitarian assistance, as in the case of the Mercy, people overwhelmingly approve. The fact that the Mercy is a U.S. Navy ship makes Indonesians more positive by a striking six to one margin—no doubt a reflection of the continuing goodwill toward the U.S. Navy from tsunami relief. American humanitarian assistance can make a significant and long-term difference in building goodwill toward the United States and eroding popular support for global terrorists. The mission of the Mercy by the United States Navy, in partnership with the volunteer assistance of Project HOPE doctors and medical personnel, sets a stellar example of the kind of actions the United States must take to win popular support, which is essential to winning the long-term struggle against extremism and terrorism. When Mercy is joined by Hope, medical diplomacy succeeds in changing the opinion of the United States in the most populous Muslim countries of the world. Surveys on the Mercy mission were part of a broader inquiry on attitudes in the most populous Muslim countries. A complete analysis of those findings can be accessed at www.terrorfreetomorrow.org. The surveys in Indonesia and Bangladesh were conducted nationwide in local languages at the end of August 2006 among 1,209 respondents in Indonesia (2.9% margin of error) and 1,010 in Bangladesh (3.1% margin of error). Full survey results and methodology follow. 3 Key Findings in Indonesia and Bangladesh on the Mercy Mission: • Indonesians and Bangladeshis both overwhelmingly approve of the recent visit of Mercy to their countries: 63% in Indonesia and 95% in Bangladesh (more people in Bangladesh had heard of the mission before the survey). • More than 85% of Indonesians who had heard of the Mercy’s mission before the survey had a favorable opinion. • The result in both countries was that the Mercy significantly improved their overall opinion of the United States (a majority in Indonesia and upwards of four-fifths in Bangladesh). • The fact that the Mercy is a United States Navy ship made people in both Indonesia and Bangladesh more favorable to the mission—by a six to one margin in Indonesia and a two to one margin in Bangladesh. • Both Indonesians and Bangladeshis also ranked return visits of the Mercy to their countries as the number two priority against comparable future actions by the United States. Findings in Indonesia and Bangladesh relating to Support for US, Bin Laden and Terrorism: • Favorable opinion among Indonesians to the United States generally is at 30% in August 2006, dropping from a high of 44% in January 2006, but still double from 15% in May 2003. • Favorable opinion of the United States in Bangladesh is nearly double at 63%. • 5% of Indonesians surveyed now believe suicide terrorist attacks are justified, up slightly from 2% in January 2006 but down from a high of 27% after 9/11, and 9% in January 2005. • In Bangladesh, 12% believe that suicide terrorist attacks are justified, a number similar to the 11% who thought so in a survey by Terror Free Tomorrow in Pakistan during May 2006. • Support for Osama Bin Laden in Indonesia stands at 12%. This support has declined significantly (58% favorable in May 2003 to 23% in January 2005 and to 12% in January 2006). • In Bangladesh, 39% of those surveyed expressed confidence in Bin Laden, again comparable to neighboring Pakistan, where 33% expressed similar confidence in a 4 survey in May 2006. This is the first public opinion survey in Bangladesh on these issues in almost five years, so we have no valid data for past comparisons. Findings in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan relating to Foreign Assistance: • 78% of Indonesians and 97% of Bangladeshis think their countries need foreign assistance. • A majority in Indonesia and almost 90% in Bangladesh want foreign assistance from the United States to increase or at least stay the same. • Similarly, majorities in Indonesia and more than four-fifths in Bangladesh think that foreign assistance from the United States makes them more favorable to the US, and is important in forming their overall opinion of America. • Indonesians and Bangladeshis both prefer that aid from America is delivered directly to the people of Indonesia and Bangladesh. • In terms of priority, aid to education, health and economic growth are by far the top three priorities for both countries (though each country ranks the order differently). • Both Indonesians and Bangladeshis ranked new educational scholarships from the United States for poor students as their highest priority against comparable future, practical actions by the United States, their second choice being return visits of the Mercy. • 57% of Indonesians continue to have a more favorable opinion of the United States because of the American response to the tsunami, even after almost two years following the tsunami. • Three-quarters of Pakistanis remains more favorable towards the United States due to American humanitarian assistance to the victims of Pakistan’s October 2005 earthquake. Even 68% of those who are unfavorable generally toward the United States feel more favorably because of the American earthquake relief. 5 Chart 1: Mercy Mission 95% 94% 85% 63% Indonesia Bangladesh Favorable Opinion of Mercy Favorable Opinion of Mercy Mission (Who Heard of Mission (Who Had NOT Mercy before survey) Heard of Mercy before survey) Chart 2: Mercy Mission 87% 53% Indonesia Bangladesh Mercy Mission Results in Improved Opinion of US 6 Chart 3: Mercy is a US Navy Ship 58% 48% Indonesia Bangladesh Navy Makes Opinion of Mercy More Favorable 7 Chart 4: Priorities for American Aid (% Who Chose as First or Second Choice) 59% 57% 52% 50% 36% 42% Indonesia 28% 21% Bangladesh 5,000 New Free Trade Treaty More Mercy Stronger US Educational Missions Support for Scholarships Palestinian State Chart 5: Indonesia and Bangladesh Percent Who Think: 97% 88% 85% 78% 52% 50% Indonesia Bangladesh Foreign Aid is Increase or Maintain US Aid Needed US Aid Important/Makes More Favorable to US 8 Chart 6: American Aid Leads to More Favorable Opinion of US 81% 75% 57% Indonesia Pakistan Bangladesh Tsunami Earthquake General Chart 7: To Whom Should US Give Assistance? 48% 45% 41% Indonesia 21% Bangladesh 11% 9% 6% 4% US Should Give To the To Businesses No Assistance Assistance Government Directly To the People 9 Chart 8: Top 3 Countries which Give Indonesia/Bangladesh Foreign Assistance 25% USA 19% Japan Saudi Arabia 5% Indonesia 44% USA Japan Saudi Arabia 19% 16% Bangladesh 10 Background and Methodology Since 2005, Terror Free Tomorrow has conducted three nationwide public opinion surveys in Indonesia and Nigeria, two nationwide surveys in Pakistan and the West Bank and Gaza, and one each in Bangladesh, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, and elsewhere for a total of seventeen public opinion surveys.